Label: Megaforce Released: June 25, 2007 For a band with a history that spans nearly three decades, the Bad Brains have a fairly small studio catalog. They released four full-length studio albums over their first decade, but only four more since then (including the hardcore-free, dub-only I & I Survived). Needless to say, the first ten years didn’t just provide… Read more »
The Explicits are a hardcore band. Usually, that means the same old thing which is both good and bad. In this case, it means some of the same with a few different angles. The Jacksonville, FL based trio consists of Renee (vocals/guitar), Jeff (bass/backing vocals) and Jarrod (drums), all 19 and all currently enrolled at the University of North Florida…. Read more »
Label: Warner Bros. Released: June 19, 2007 Is there a tougher position to be in than following up a near perfect record? Probably not, but the White Stripes did a fine job by not trying to remake the stellar Elephant and instead stretching out even further on Get Behind Me Satan. While the latter was a half step down from… Read more »
Label: Reprise Released: October 31, 2006 Often when a band takes steps to broaden their appeal outside of their core audience, they flounder. This is particularly true if the band strongly rooted in personal appeal and emotional energy. They can fall into the traps of over-production and self-importance and the result is usually an uncomfortable, lackluster effort. After the success… Read more »
Label: Hear Music Released: June 5, 2007 Paul McCartney’s solo career has been erratic to say the least. His first solo effort shows us both that he’s a great pop songwriter and that he’s willing to stretch out and take chances at times. Sometimes those chances worked, but often they were too slick for their own good. From the mid-70s… Read more »
…but what about Enhanced LPs? Check this out.
Overlord has an image problem. Their myspace name (overlordisnotmetal) shows that they are consciously aware of it. Even though I found this band through one of my favorite indie rock bands, Palomar, I still wondered, “Is this a metal band?” The answer is most stridently “no.” While that might put off those who find them haphazardly, this band’s catchy, sixties… Read more »
I found this online archive of old issues of Maximum Rock n Roll and Flipside all in PDF format. Now I know what I’ll be reading for awhile. You know, I was checking out issue #1 of Flipside and reading their reviews of the brand new Clash self-titled LP and the Jam’s In the City and it’s amazing punk ever… Read more »
Album: You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic (1979) Ian Hunter is best known as the singer for Mott the Hoople, but he’s also released a number of fine solo albums, not the least of which is You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. There’s a largely forgotten tune on side two called “Standin’ in My Light.” It starts off with subtle… Read more »
Label: Sire (re-issued on Captain Oi!) Released: 1977 The Saints first popped up outside of their native Australia in 1976, somewhere between the demise of the pre-punk era of the New York Dolls, MC5 and Stooges and the punk explosion that would occur the following year. Their now classic “(I’m) Stranded” b/w “No Time” self-released single made it to Britain… Read more »